


Make a Witch

by swallowed_stars



Series: Sheith Family Series [5]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Happy Birthday Keith, It's a Halloween-themed birthday for a very special boy, Kid Fic, M/M, birthday fic, family fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-21 17:25:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12462423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swallowed_stars/pseuds/swallowed_stars
Summary: “That’s what celebrations are for, Keith. Spendin’ time with people who love you.”





	Make a Witch

**Author's Note:**

  * For [heyitscmei](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heyitscmei/gifts).



_ Keith, in his eagerness, turns and bumps directly into the wall, his nose throbbing from the brunt of the hit. Keith’s dad gasps sharply as he watches him do it, unable to stop him in time. He lifts up the sheet to assess the damage and settles when he sees Keith is okay and is merely scrunching up his nose.  _

 

_ “You gotta wait till I put eyeholes in, you doofus.” Keith’s dad laughs. He then asks: “You okay?”  _

 

_ Keith nods, his hair flouncing along with the action.  _

 

_ “I’m okay, Daddy.”  _

 

_ “Good. I know we’re goin’ for the whole ghost thing, but I don’t actually want you killin’ yourself.” He says, and he pulls the bed sheet off of Keith completely.  _

 

_ Keith watches his dad draw two coordinating ovals on the surface of the sheet and cut around them, producing two holes. Keith’s practically vibrating with excitement by the time his dad hands him the sheet again. He slips it over his head and peers at his dad through the newly made holes.  _

 

_ “That’s better.” Keith proclaims, and his dad smiles at him. Keith is so tiny that the sheet mostly trails behind him, but the effect is still there.  _

 

_ “I love Halloween.” Keith adds, walking around the room and perfecting his eerie moans.  _

 

_ Keith’s dad folds his arms and says, “Halloween isn’t for a few days; it’s your birthday, remember?”  _

 

_ “It’s a  _ **_Halloween_ ** _ birthday.” Keith corrects him, and Keith’s dad can discern a finger that Keith’s pedantically pointing at him through the fabric.  _

 

_ “You’re right, buddy,” Keith’s dad says, “it sure is.”  _

 

\----

 

“Kira, I have to make the eyeholes first.” Keith says, and he pulls his daughter to him just before she can collide with the wall. 

 

Kira pokes her head out from beneath the bed sheet and says: “But Daddy, ghosts don’t have eyes.” 

 

Keith can’t really debate that, but he plucks the sheet away from her all the same. He says, “Maybe not, but  _ you  _ do. And I don’t want you getting hurt.” 

 

Kira groans, impatience rising in her for the costume to be finished. But then she remembers what Haru told her that morning and she realizes that she has to keep her dad busy. She sits down beside Keith as he precisely shapes the eyeholes with a marker. 

 

“You’re good at this, Daddy,” she says, and Keith’s eyes drift to her. 

 

“I’ve had some practice.” Keith says coyly. 

 

“What kind of practice?” 

 

Keith mulls it over, his chest becoming tight. He can still feel the ache of his hurt nose, can still recall the slanted view from the inside of his own little bed sheet. It hurts, and he doesn’t ruminate on it for long. 

 

“Hand me the scissors, sweetheart?” Keith asks, and Kira complies. 

 

“Tell me about your practice, Daddy.” Kira says as Keith cuts along the outlines he marked. 

 

Without hesitation, Keith says, “I’ve met a few ghosts; I know what they look like.” 

 

Kira’s mouth forms a little “o” of astonishment. Before she can question him further, Keith tosses the sheet back over Kira and tugs along the sides until her head aligns with the eyeholes. 

 

“Do I look good, Daddy? Like the ghosts you’ve seen?” Kira says from behind her shroud.

 

Keith smiles as he says: “You’ve even scarier. If I didn’t know your voice, I’d think you were  _ real _ .”

 

“Really?” Kira says. 

 

Keith nods and says: “Can you see okay?” 

 

“I can see. I’m gonna haunt the  _ whole  _ house!” Kira alleges, waving her arms beneath the sheet. It’s such a familiar scene to Keith that he chuckles to himself. He was a bit surprised when Kira came to him saying that she wanted to dress up as a ghost, but it made him happy. He wants nothing more than to replace his memories with new ones formed by himself and his daughter; it’s how he’s learned to remedy himself through the years. 

 

Keith gets to his feet and says: “Well then why  _ don’t  _ we go haunt the whole house? We have time before Haru’s party.” He moves toward the door, but Kira shuffles in front of him and blocks his escape. 

 

“We can’t!” Kira says, to which Keith raises his brow. 

  
“Why not?” 

 

There’s a nervous little shuffle underneath Kira’s sheet. She stammers: “B-because...you’re my prisoner!” 

 

Keith crosses his arms and looks down at his daughter skeptically. He says: “Kira Shirogane, you’re hiding something from me.” 

 

“No, I’m not…” 

 

“Yes, you are.” 

 

Kira makes a small noise of distress. She switches tactics: “I’ll never tell!” 

 

Keith moves to get closer to her, but she puts her hands against the doorframe to fortify her barrier. Keith can’t think of why he wouldn’t be allowed to leave Kira’s bedroom, but he’s curious to know the reason. 

 

“Fine,” Keith says, “if you won’t tell me, I’ll just have to find out for myself.” He bends down and picks Kira up, hoisting her over his shoulder and moving through the doorway. She playfully shoves against him.

 

“No,” Kira shouts in protest, “you can’t! Haru and Papa are gonna be mad at me. I can’t fail my job!” 

 

“Sweetheart, what are you talking about?” Keith asks as he descends the staircase, his daughter bobbing over his shoulder. She keeps trying to stretch her arms out, flailing like she’s reaching for something.

 

“I can’t even fly away. I’m gonna be fired as a sister  _ and  _ a ghost.” Kira laments, drooping helplessly against Keith and ceasing her fight against him. 

 

“You’re being so weird today.” Keith says. He sets her down when they finally make it to the first floor and he’s perplexed to note that it smells like Haru’s been baking again. Maybe he’s planning on taking in sweets for his classmates at the party? 

 

Keith turns his head and sees Haru standing in the middle of the kitchen, frozen in place and staring at Keith in horror. He’s bedecked in his own costume: a smudged white lab coat and dark pants, his usual glasses and his askew black hair completing the mad scientist look. Haru then gapes at his younger sister, who shrugs beneath her bed sheet. 

 

“I tried my best to stop him. He’s bigger than me!” Kira says defensively, and Haru just sighs. 

 

“Haru, what are you doing?” Keith says. 

 

Haru looks around guiltily and says: “Uh...nothing.” 

 

“And where are Papa and the baby? Isn’t he supposed to be taking you guys to school?” Keith adds. No sooner does he say it than Shiro appears behind him, holding Yumi in his arms. Yumi has a little headband on, adorning which are two black cat ears. Thin strips of whiskers have been drawn on her cheeks, which stretch into a smile when she sees Keith. 

 

“Sorry, we don’t have any babies here. I did find this really cute little kitten wandering around, though.” Shiro says. 

 

Yumi beams and reaches out for Keith, who exhales happily as he takes her. He flicks one of her tiny artificial ears and looks at Shiro as he says: “What a good find. This  _ is  _ a cute kitten.” 

 

Shiro leans over and presses a kiss into Yumi’s hair. He lingers near her when she places one of his metallic fingers in her mouth and he says: “Look, I know every other parent thinks their baby is the cutest baby in the world...but every other parent is  _ wrong _ because Yumi’s the cutest baby in the world.” Yumi coos at Shiro in response, which is all the affirmation he needs. Keith then affectionately rubs his cheek against the top of Yumi’s head. 

 

“But wait,” Keith says, “why’s the baby dressed up? She’s a bit young to go to Haru’s school party.” 

 

Shiro smiles fondly at Keith, hooking an arm around Keith’s waist as he says: “Because it’s not Haru’s party, it’s yours.” 

 

Keith audibly gasps. He hears the sounds of Kira giggling behind him and Haru moving things around in the kitchen. Keith can feel tears coming on, but he wills them away. Still, he can’t deny the sentiment in his voice as he stares at Shiro and says: “You set me up.” 

 

Shiro nods, “I did. Haru’s school isn’t having their Halloween party for another few nights.” 

 

“Happy Birthday, Daddy!” Kira says first, and everyone follows suit. Haru calls “Happy Birthday” from the kitchen and even Yumi, who can’t fathom the situation, snuggles closer to Keith. 

 

Shiro gives Keith a chaste peck on the cheek. He says: “Happy Birthday, baby. I love you.” 

 

Keith angles himself into Shiro’s touch and sniffles, though just once. He tried not to let it affect him when none of his family mentioned his birthday throughout the day; on the one hand, he’s an adult and on the other hand, he’s had several birthdays that went uncelebrated in his youth. However, now that he knows it was all a ruse to surprise him, he feels overwhelmed. 

 

Shiro thumbs away the first tear that slides down Keith’s face. He apologizes immediately, saying: “Keith, I’m sorry. Did you think we were ignoring you?” 

 

Keith shakes his head, but in reality, he had thought that. He knows his family loves him, but those feelings of being unwanted for years are difficult to invalidate. 

 

Yumi hears her dad crying and lifts her head up at him. She places her open, gummy mouth against Keith’s cheek, eliciting a laugh from him. Yumi hasn’t mastered the art of the cheek kiss yet, though Kira’s attempted to teach her. Both Keith and Shiro have heard encouragements of ‘C’mon, Honey, you can learn how’ followed quickly by exasperated sighs coming from the baby’s room on occasion.

 

“Please don’t cry. This is my fault, we should’ve just told you and stuck to a normal birthday…” Shiro mumbles in frustration, but Keith places his free hand on Shiro’s shoulder. 

 

“It’s okay,” Keith says, “I’m just...really, really happy.” He then wipes his eyes with his sleeve and turns back to Kira. He says: “You guys got all dressed up just for me?” 

 

Kira says: “Well, Honey and I did. Haru’s a science nerd every day.” 

 

“Be nice,” Shiro chides. 

 

Haru finally presents himself next to his sister. He says: “No, she’s kinda right. I like science.” 

 

“Can we have cake now?” Kira says, tapping Haru on the arm with a sheet-covered hand. Haru exchanges a glance with Shiro, who nods at him. 

 

“Only if Dad goes first. It’s his birthday.” Haru says. Shiro takes the baby out of Keith’s arms and leads him into the dining room. 

 

The table is set for all of them, with bright orange plates and black plasticware in front of their individual chairs. Speckling the top of the table are several little pieces of Halloween confetti, all shaped like bats or pumpkins or witches hats. When Keith looks at Shiro incredulously, Shiro says: “Kira did the decorating”, which serves to explain why many pieces of confetti have been strewn onto the carpeting. 

 

Keith sits down, Kira springing up next to him and lifting her sheet in the back so that she doesn’t rip it. Shiro remains standing, bouncing the baby in his arms. He calls to Haru: “You need help, buddy?” 

 

“No,” Haru responds as he carries in a baking tray, “I’m good.” He sets the tray down in front of Keith and to his surprise, Keith sees his birthday cake has been cut in the shape of a large bat. It’s also been frosted completely in white and coated with miniature black sprinkles. Before Keith can comment on his admiration for his son’s handiwork, Kira cuts in: 

 

“You did a good job, Papa!” 

 

Keith’s head whips around and he looks at Shiro, his mouth ajar. He says: “ _ You  _ baked this?” 

 

Shiro smiles sheepishly and nods. He says: “Haru helped me, though. And he shaped it all on his own.” 

 

Haru laughs and says: “That’s ‘cause whenever you tried drawing a bat shape, it looked more like a lightening bolt.” 

 

Shiro can only give a noncommittal roll of his shoulders in response. He says: “That’s why I let you take the reins. But let’s see how it turned out, huh?” 

 

“Not yet, Daddy still hasn’t made his wish!” Kira says.  

 

“Why bother with wishes when Papa’s learned how to bake? That’s a miracle.” Keith jokes. Shiro pouts, but he doesn’t bother to argue. He offers Yumi over to Keith and she kicks her legs out excitedly when Keith takes her. In the meantime, Shiro’s opened the packet of candles and stuck a few into the midsection of the cake. He grabs for the lighter when Haru says: 

 

“I wonder if you could use your arm to light the candles.” 

 

Keith adjusts the baby in his lap and he smiles at Shiro. Haru’s taken a lot of interest in the way Shiro’s prosthetic operates, which has helped Shiro feel less and less insecure about it recently. Keith’s always been confident that their children would accept him no matter what, but the reassurance is important to him.

 

Shiro chuckles and responds: “First you ask me to bake the cake and now you want me to use my alien arm to light Dad’s candles? Are you trying to get me to burn the house down?” He doesn’t wait for a reply; he lights the candles manually before stepping back. 

 

“Make a witch, Keith.” Shiro says, and everyone stares at him quizzically. He tries to salvage the attempt by saying: “You know, because of the Halloween thing?” 

 

“But none of us are dressed as a witch.” Haru says. 

 

“Babe, that was  _ awful _ .” Keith says ashamedly, shaking his head.

 

“I liked it, Papa.” Kira declares, and Shiro thanks her with a sigh.

 

“Make a wish, then.” Shiro corrects himself. 

 

Keith stares at the minimal tongues of fire and he can’t come up with anything to wish for. Between marrying Shiro, living in their own place together, and having a family, he feels pretty set. Having his youngest sitting with him and babbling contentedly as he contemplates this only strengthens the thought that he doesn’t need anything more. There’s no getting better than this for him. 

 

For good measure, Keith twists his lips together in falsified consideration and blows his candles out, to which the kids and his husband clap enthusiastically. Overall, Keith’s glad he can enjoy his birthdays again; the fact that his kids make cute ghosts and scientists and kittens are just a bonus. 

 

\----

 

_ “I think I’d like my birthday even if it wasn’t during Halloween.” Keith says between bites of cake. His ghost sheet has been long since cast off in favor of him eating. _

 

_ Keith’s dad looks at him, curious as to what brought this on. He says: “Oh yeah, and why’s that?”  _

 

_ “‘Cause I get to spend the day with you.” Keith says point blank. His dad reaches over and ruffles Keith’s hair as he says: _

 

_ “That’s what celebrations are for, Keith. Spendin’ time with people who love you.” _

**Author's Note:**

> Charlie and I were talking about the idea of Keith having Halloween-themed birthdays when he was little and I figured I'd throw together a little something to gift to her and to help celebrate our boy. Hope you like it, darling!


End file.
